August 2006

14th August 2006

12:00 AM — Applicants to the Police Service of Northern Ireland are to be asked their sexual orientation for the first time. Currently all GB forces monitor the number of gay and lesbian people working for them.Potential officers will also be able to declare if they are in a civil partnership.

12:00 AM — A compromise has been reached between the South African Blood Service and gay pressure groups over donations.Previously all gay men who had sex with another man in the last five years were barred from giving blood.Gay activists had argued this rule was discriminatory, and drew attention to previous restrictions by the service on the grounds of race.

12:00 AM — The organiser of last weekend's gay pride march in Tallinn has expressed shock at violence from groups of skinheads, claiming he thought Estonia was more tolerant compared to other Eastern European countries.Around 15 people were injured in the capital city after being attacked with sticks and stones while celebrating the country's third gay pride event.

12:00 AM — Government Authorities in Beijing are reconsidering their publicity tactics after failing to attract a sizeable interest in the city's first government-run gay Internet forum after two months on line and only 1,000 hits.The sites managers admit that "Forum for Comrades" - "Comrades" ("tongzhi") being the slang term for homosexuals in China - has suffered from a total lack of publicity despite its health messages and open nature.

12:00 AM — A 76-year-old man from north London has been placed under an anti-social behaviour order for racial and homophobic verbal abuse directed at fellow care home residents.David Lilley, who lives in a sheltered housing complex in Cricklewood, has a record of abusing, threatening and spitting at staff and other residents.

12:00 AM — The US-based gay dating site manhunt.net has hit upon a novel way of promoting safe sex among gay men.An outreach worker, posing under the sign-in name of VIPBoy, is paid to talk about AIDS and STDs to site users and to give out advice about safe sex practices."If gay men are going to meet in cyberspace for hookups, they should know what they are getting into if they have unsafe sex"

12:00 AM — How to prevent the spread of AIDS in places like China will be a major focus of researchers and policymakers at this week's 16th International AIDS Conference.In China, homosexuality, while no longer officially considered a mental disorder, is still an off limits subject for many, reports Reuters. That taboo often extends to discussions about AIDS and condom use for men who have sex with men.

12:00 AM — 55 gay and lesbian couples held hands and exchanged vows on the steps of the Victoria State Parliament in Melbourne yesterday.A crowd of over 2000 people joined them, calling on the Victoria and Australian governments to follow the example of the UK and other countries and recognise gay and lesbian relationships.

12:00 AM — The Pope has defended the church's prohibition on homosexuality claiming Catholicism is not a collection of "nos."Pope Benedict XVI backed church bans on gay marriage, abortion and contraception in an interview on German television and Vatican Radio, claiming the rules reflect positive values.

12th August 2006

12:00 AM — Belfast Pride last weekend played host to a group of Humanists marching in solidarity with gay and lesbian people.The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association has praised the support given by the Belfast Humanist Group, who marched in solidarity with the gay community at the Pride event.

12:00 AM — A Tory councillor is to go on trial after pleading not guilty at Brighton Magistrates to public order charges after allegedly making homophobic remarks.Cllr Peter Willows, 75, of Brighton and Hove City Council allegedly likened homosexuals to paedophiles.

12:00 AM — A Tory councillor is to go on trial after pleading not guilty at Brighton Magistrates to public order charges after allegedly making homophobic remarks.Cllr Peter Willows, 75, of Brighton and Hove City Council allegedly likened homosexuals to paedophiles.

11th August 2006

12:00 AM — A gay rights organisation in the United States has praised the American Pyschological Association's tough stance against the pseudo-science of conversion therapy.The 'treatment' is promoted by Christian organisations as a cure for homosexuality, but the APA have rejected it on the grounds that it has no scientific evidence to support claims made about its effectiveness.

12:00 AM — An innovative method of reporting homophobic attacks has been hailed a success by the West London Gay Men's Project.Over 30 incidents have been reported via an i-kiosk installed inside the well-known Birdcage pub in Chiswick.The aim of the project is to increase monitoring of hate crimes, and victims have the option of requesting further assistance from police if they wish to pursue the incident.

12:00 AM — The first UK Black Pride (UKBP) festival will be held on Saturday 19th August at the seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea.Organisers hope the festival will become an annual summer event. It aims to foster pride, empowerment and a positive presence for black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the UK.

12:00 AM — For the aspiring political journalist, getting an MP to even speak to you can be a struggle. So it is a tribute to Stephen Williams that he was the first one to say yes to PinkNews.co.uk's Tony Grew.For this reason alone it would have seemed rude to give him a rough ride.But the honest truth is that there would be no need to get all "Paxman" with Williams.

12:00 AM — Controversial rapper Beenie Man has told The Independent newspaper that the true meaning of his lyrics have been misinterpreted due to cultural differences.Mr Man claims that in Jamaica the word 'gay' is synonymous with rape, and that unlike the consensual homosexual relationships found in England, the only 'gay' relationships that exist in Jamaica are young men who are forced into gay sex by poverty.

12:00 AM — Plans for a gay hotel in small town Ireland have been abandoned.As PinkNews.co.uk reported last month, promoter Brian Berry had unveiled plans to convert a hotel in Carlow, saying:"In any establishment you can get complications and objections, but at the end of the day, no matter what objections I get, I'll continue."

12:00 AM — An HIV-positive Australian man whose sexual conquests allegedly infected at least five men, intentionally contracted the deadly virus, a court was told this week.Michael John Neal, 48, faces 115 charges relating to sex with 16 men while knowingly infected with the HIV virus.

12:00 AM — The state of Massachusetts on Tuesday dismissed allegations by a gay man who said he was physically and verbally abused by paramedics who delayed his treatment after he was shot and attacked with a hatchet at a gay bar.The state's Executive Office of Health and Human Services ruled that Robert Perry's complaint about a delay in treatment was "invalid," saying it could not substantiate his allegations.

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